Spaghetti with Tuna and CapersRegion: ItalyCategory: Pasta with FishSeason: AnyDifficulty: Easy and Quick

This recipe came about in a sudden way when I showed up at my friend Pam Haltom’s house empty-handed. I had forgotten that it was a pot luck dinner and that I was supposed to have prepared a pasta dish. She had guests, a husband, two starving kids, and not enough food. There just wasn't enough food and we were going to eat in 30 minutes. I said sheepishly, "Maybe I can whip something up if you have a can of tuna." She said in her inimitable way, "Do it now!" So I did.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, 1 crushed and 2 finely chopped

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

One 6-ounce can tuna, packed in water, drained

1 tablespoon capers, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3/4 pound spaghetti

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat with the whole garlic clove until the garlic begins to turn light brown. Remove and discard the garlic. Add the onion and chopped garlic and cook until soft, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tuna, capers, and season with salt and pepper, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat off and leave the sauce in the skillet.

2. Meanwhile, for every pound of pasta, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat, salt abundantly with up to 1/2 cup of salt, then add the pasta in handfuls. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together, until al dente. Drain without rinsing.

Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and toss with the tuna sauce and half the parsley. Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top and serve.

There are so many interesting flavors and combinations here [in Mediterranean Vegetables]. Having had the honor of eating some of these dishes cooked by Cliff’s own hand, I know how good they really are. I can’t wait to cook them myself. - Deborah Madison, author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and The Greens Cookbook

Just like what’s happening with barbecue and grilling books (and Italian cookbooks), publishers feel obliged to regularly come out with books covering the same subject over and over again. This is because it is difficult to keep books in print, and older books (with a few exceptions, like The Joy of Cooking) are simply not as marketable as newer books. That said, Wright’s collection of hot and spicy recipes from around the world [Some Like it Hot] is much like the dozens that have come before it. It is comprehensive and the recipes look like they are authentic and complete, with a lot of anecdotal information to delight the reader. ... Anyone who can write a chapter title like “Hot Chicks, Wicked Ducks, and Killer Rabbits” gets a pat on the back from me! - Dave DeWitt, author of The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia; Fiery-Foods.com